Apertured clip



Oct. 1963 I c. A. SECKERSON 3,404,366

APERTURED CLIP Filed NOV. 26, 1965 FIG] Affamey United States Patent 3,404,366 APERTUREI) CLIP 7 Clifford A. Scckerson, Iver Heath, England, assignor to United-Carr Incorporated, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 509,735 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Dec. 1, 1964, 48,776/ 64 Claims. (Cl. 339-119) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This is a clip for attaching a cable to an apertured plate member. The clip has at least one pair of notches formed on an edge for engaging a cable and has side edge portions which are deformed downwardly to act as guides for the cable.

The present invention relates to an improved clip which is particularly suitable for use, in combination with a conventional screw, for securing one or more cables to a plate, preferably but not essentially so as to make a secure electrical connection therebetween.

In electrical appliances it is frequently necessary to make a secure electrical contact between a terminal plate and two cables. Hitherto, the methods of fastening employed have been difficult and time consuming to assemble or unreliable in that they were liable to work loose under movement or vibration.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fastening which is particularly but not exclusively suitable for attaching a cable or cables to a terminal plate in secure electrical contact and which is quick and easy to assemble and release.

In order to achieve the above described objects of the invention there is provided a clip for use in combination with a screw to attach a cable to an apertured, plate-like member, the clip being formed to a generally U-shape and comprising two limbs joined by a web, in which the web is slotted to receive the member, one of the limbs is provided with means adapted to threadedly engage a screw therethrough and the other limb has an opening overlying the one limb and an end portion which is flanged over so as to extend towards the one limb, the said end portion having an end edge formed with an arcuate cut-out adapted to partly accommodate a cable.

The present invention also provides a fastening device for attaching a pair of cables to an apertured terminal plate, the device comprising a clip and a headed screw, in which the clip is U-shaped and comprises two generally parallel limbs and a web portion, the web portion is slotted to receive the terminal plate therethrough, one of the limbs is apertured and has an end portion flanged over towards the other limb and the said other limb is provided with means for threadedly engaging the screw whereby the screw is threadedly engageable through the apertured limb and the apertured terminal plate into the said means to clamp the cables and the terminal plate between the flanged over end portion of the apertured limb and the said other limb.

A preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a clip according to the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the clip of FIG- URE 1,

FIGURE 3 is an underplan of the clip of FIGURES 1 and 2 and,

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of an assembly showing two cables attached to a terminal plate with the aid of the clip of FIGURES 1 to 3 and a conventional screw.

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In FIGURES l to 3 a clip is indicated generally at 10. The clip 10 is formed from a single strip of material, such as steel, and is preferably rendered resilient and rustproof during manufacture.

The clip 10 is formed to a generally U-shape so as to have two limbs 12 and 14 joined by a web 16. The limb 12 is formed with a conical impression 18 having a central aperture 20 the circumference of which is interrupted and formed as a helix to receive a screw in threaded engagement.

The web 16 has an elongate slot 22 adjacent the limb 12 and a central portion of the limb 14 is sheared away to form an opening 24 and a resilient tongue 26, which is bent from the limb 14 so as to extend inwardly towards the limb 12 and forwardly away from the web 16.

Two parallel shear cuts are formed in the limb 14 adjacent the side edges of the limb and the side edge portions 28 of the limb 14 are deformed towards the limb 12 to act as guides.

The free end portion 30 of the limb 14 is flanged over at right-angles so as to extend towards the limb 12 and the end edge of the portion 30 is formed with two spaced arcuate cut-outs 32 and 34.

The clip 10 is used, as shown in FIGURE 4, in combination with a conventional screw 38 to secure the bared ends 40 of two cables, only one of which is shown at 42, to an apertured terminal plate 44.

In order to attach the cables to the terminal plate, the plate is first inserted through the slot 22 in the web of the clip and so positioned that the aperture in the plate is aligned with the aperture 20 in the clip. The resilient tongue 26 bears against the plate 44 to hold the plate in position and prevent it from being withdrawn from the clip. The two cables are then inserted between the plate 44 and the limb 14 of the clip, one to either side of the aperture in the plate, the side edge portions 2 8 acting as guides to retain the cables on the plate and generally in parallel alignment. Finally, the screw 38 is passed through the opening 24 and the aperture in the plate 44 and is threaded down through the aperture 20 in the limb 12 so as to clamp the plate 44 and the ends 40 of the cables 42 tightly between the limb 12 and the edge of the end portion 30 of the limb 14.

In the assembled position the bared ends of the cables and the terminal plate are clamped firmly together in electrical contact and cannot be disengaged without first removing or loosening the screw 38.

It will be seen that the assembly can be made quickly and easily since the plate 44 cannot accidentally slide back out of the clip during assembly owing to the resistance offered by the tongue 26 and that the cable ends are automatically aligned in the correct position as they are inserted by the deformed side portions 28 of the clip.

It will be understood that further modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is best defined by the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A fastening device for attaching a pair of cables to an apertured terminal plate, the device comprising a clip and a headed screw, in which the clip is U-shaped and comprises two generally parallel limbs and a web portion, the web portion is slotted to receive the terminal plate therethrough, one of the limbs is apertured and has an end portion flanged over towards the other limb and the said other limb is provided with means for threadedly engaging the screw, the screw being threadedly engaged through the apertured limb and the apertured terminal plate into the said means to clamp the cables and the terminal plate between the flanged over end portion of the apertured limb and the said other limb.

2. A fastening device as claimed in claim 1, in which a resilient tongue is sheared and bent from the said apertured limb, the tongue extending towards the said other limb and away from the web so as to engage the terminal plate and resist withdrawal of the plate through the slotted '3 web portion prior to threaded engagement of the screw therethrough.

3. A fastening device as claimed in claim 1, in which the said flanged over portion has an end edge which is formed with two arcuate cut-outs adapted to partly accommodate 10 by a web, said web being slotted and receiving the plate- 20 like member, and the second limb provided with means adapted to threadedly engage the fastener member and the first limb having an opening overlying the second limb and having an end portion which is flanged over so as to extend toward the plane of the second limb the 25 said end portion having an end edge, said end edge of the end portion of the first limb formed with an arcuate 4 cut-out adapted to partly accommodate a cable and the side edge portions of the said first limb are deformed towards the second limb to act as guides for the cable.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,175,844 10/1939 Laystrom.

2,277,468 3/ 1942 Welch. 2,588,288 3/ 1952 Pohanka. 2,967,290 1/ 1961 Zeller 339--272 3,181,111 4/1965 Moloney 339-244 FOREIGN PATENTS 231,971 5/ 1959 Australia. 840,921 1/ 1939 France.

OTHER REFERENCES Electrical World, Dec. 13, 1965, p. 101.

Tele-Teck Electronic Industries, February 1955, p. 42.

Product Engineering, May 27, 1963, pp. 36 and 37.

Aviation Week, Aug. 13, 1962, p. 2.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

RAYMOND S. STROBEL, Assistant Examiner. 

